Please release Lightroom Classic CC and Photoshop versions that are compatible with Windows 8.1. I have Windows 8.1 running on a 4-year old machine and I don't want to upgrade to Windows 10 without upgrading my PC. I don't want to invest in another new machine now. So that's why I am requesting this.

This is not going to happen. Adobe does not do that just to annoy you, there is a reason why an older OS is no longer supported after a while. That reason is that the latest versions of Lightroom and Photoshop make use of new features that are not in that old OS, or that Adobe is working on new features that require the newer OS.

Why is Windows 7 supported if Windows 8.1 is not? I would like to know
what exactly are the features that work in Windows 7 but not in Windows
8.1? Or is that just some marketing bullshit?

Year
ago I bought a new processor by Intel and it said Windows 8.1 isn't
supported and I can't install any updates to Windows. After installing
an unofficial patch everything works fine and I haven't had any problems
at all. So it was just Microsoft and Intel trying to force people to
update to Windows 10. Does Adobe have a same kind of agreement with
Microsoft as Intel has?

I
know Windows 8.1 is unpopular but I haven't had any problems and at the
moment I don't have time to upgrade to Windows 10. After all Windows
8.1 is still supported by Microsoft until 2023. As a paying customer I'm
very disappointed Adobe dropped Windows 8.1 even though it continues to
support Windows 7. What is the great difference that makes new versions
to run in Windows 7 but not in Windows 8.1?

I would even be
happy to use old version of Lightroom but when I'm trying to use Map, it
says it isn't supported any more on the old version. At least make the
map working on old versions or explain why it is not possible. I'm really considering if
I should continue my subscription or not.

I think the main difference between Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 is the number of users (much more in Win7).Qualifying a software on a OS version requires a lot of testing (non regression, new features), which cost money. I suspect that Adobe decided the the market for Windows 8.1 is too small to justify the expenses of qualifying. This is just my thouht, of course and doesn't mean I agree with the Adobe's decision.For the map no longer working, it's a Google change in the API that makes LR6 no longer compatible. The new API has been implemented in the suported version of LR (7 and now 8), but not in version 6 which is no longer supported/developped.

Just out of curiosity I
tried the pirate versions of Photoshop and Lightroom CC 2019 and they
seem to be running very well on my Windows 8.1 machine. This makes me
think there is no real reason why Adobe won't let me install them, at least on my own risk. If I get any problems then it's my fault for not upgrading my Windows but now it's Adobe fault for not letting me even install their software. And I
think it's embarrassing for Adobe that those using pirated software get
newer version than paying customers. If I get no more updates or
support until some day I upgrade to Windows 10, then why should I keep
paying?

And just to be clear I'm not using pirated versions actively. Just wanted to try is it true that the new versions
wouldn't run on my machine because of Windows 8.1. And obviously I
couldn't try the official versions because of Adobe making stupid decisions.

Agreed. I was rather surprised Adobe dropped support for 8.1 already. It's not THAT old. I've been running 8.1 for a couple years, and it's a very smooth and problem free OS from my experience. I don NOT want to change to 10.

It also poses a question: Is there any way to "get out" of the subrscription, since I won't be getting any more updates on PS and LR - but still keep my PS CC2018?

Adobe has a great product. But unfortunately the company seems to be arrogant and stubborn. The problem with the map is annoying but it's not even that big deal. I'm more annoyed how Adobe handles (or don't handle) customer service and don't seem to care customers that don't make enough money for Adobe.

I have already removed all illegal versions I tested and I don't want to use any of them. I use my perfectly legal versions I have installed from Creative Cloud. But I have seen on my own computer that CC 2019 apps can be run on Windows 8.1. At least I would like to hear a technical explanation why then Adobe has prevented installing CC 2019 to Windows 8.1? Not just some vague excuses like this: "To take advantage of the
continued developments in hardware and software, Creative Cloud 2019
apps do not support some older OS versions."

I would understand if the new apps wouldn't run at all on older systems but they are available for Windows 7. I have heard a rumor there is a bug in one of the system libraries on Windows 8.1. But even if it's true I have been using Adobe software on Windows 8.1 for years without any problems. So if I ever encounter that bug then it's my problem. But shouldn't it be my choice which OS I use and if I'm willing to take that risk?

Windows 8.1 may not be very popular but it's much better than most
people say and it's been very stable over the years. Surely not the
"worst thing MS ever produced". I think the biggest mistake MS made was
replacing the start menu with start screen. That was the reason I didn't
want Windows 8 myself at first but after using it for a while that
hasn't been bothering me at all. Now I have a couple of computers
running Windows 8.1 with all the settings and software adjusted as I
want. So upgrading OS is not that simple it could be done at any time and I thought I had still a lot of time to do it when it suits me better.

Also Adobe knowing the Google API would stop working and Windows 8.1 users unable to update to LR8, couldn't they have fixed the map in LR7?

At least they could have given some notification so that I wouldn't have wasted my time. Now when I tried to use
the map it said I need to update but when I went to Creative Cloud I didn't
get any updates. Then I went to this page: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/creative-cloud-application-recognizing-available.html
I did all the steps and spent the whole day uninstalling and installing
stuff and wondering why it doesn't help. Ok, there is a small note on
that page about system requirements. But it isn't the first thing that
comes to mind that maybe Adobe has dropped the support for OS that is
still supported 4 years by Microsoft. Maybe there should be Solution 6:
Make sure you don't use Windows 8.1.

Apparently Adobe needs to invest in customer service and have more employees if no one has time to answer my questions. But probably they just don't care that much about smaller customers.

Interesting to hear you installed and ran CC2019 without any problems. I think they should release new Photoshop updates for Win 8.1, but with a caveat and a statement saying users might run into problems, and that the product isn't fully supported for the OS - but let us decide for ourselves if we want to take that risk or not!

Well, there are some problems when you don't use the official versions but I think that's mainly because you can't sign into Creative Cloud. But no more about that and I do not encourage anyone to use illegal versions. I was just curious to see if it would run or not. And yes it did. But I didn't test it for long. I have real things to do and I want to use only the official versions.

the last stable working Map Module was in Version 7.4 With 7.5 all the problems began, that Adobe is not willing or wanting to fix. At last all Users of LR 7 Versions where kicked out of the service completely. This is such a Bull**** . There can't be technical things, because it was operational until end of November.

The thing is: Users who need that Map module can't use the 7.4 Version any longer. LR Classic 7.4 was the last Version, that has fulfilled all my needs and was stable in all aspects. It is so annoying that users cant' use it any longer because of the wantonly destroyed Map Module!

> There can't be technical things, because it was operational until end of November.

Lightroom is reliant on external services for the Map module. Google changed their API and billing terms, breaking the system that was previously used in Lightroom 7.4 and earlier. There are broken maps all over other websites right now because of those same changes.

Hi Victoria,Please try to understand it from my point of view: Google has made its changes on August this Year. I know this exactly, because I own a big site with geo tagged images, an I had to make a subscription with Google to use the Map API.My reply is about the fact, that Adobe has switched of the Map Module at the end of November this Year. Google did not change its API in the beginning of December, all Problems are Adobe related. This was absolutely unnecessary, except to force users to upgrade to Lr8. Rick told in another thread, that Lr8 fixes the problems, but it didn't!

It is also not correct, that Adobe says, that all the Problems that are described here using the Map Module are "User related" !!!

The question is, what there could be "User related", if other Geo tagging Software like Zoner Photo Studio never made this Problems on the same (!) machine! So there is never ever a Problem with the Computer - all problems are Adobe related.

Hi Mikel. I love that we can have a sensible conversation about this. ;-) The other thing that Google changed is the billing, as you've noted. It would be reasonable to assume that Adobe's contract with Google ended at the end of November, since the new Map module uses a different provider.

Official response from Adobe (Rikk Flohr) states that: "After additional investigation, it appears this message was appearing by mistake for some Lightroom Classic 7.4 users. The issue with the errant warning message should be fixed now."

It doesn't say that the Map module wouldn't be discontinued for LR7 but you could make conclusions that if the message was "mistake" and "errant warning", then the Map would continue to work in LR7. Even if that isn't direct lying it is misleading. Well the message did come again to LR7.5. I don't know when but I noticed it only a week before the Map would stop working and that isn't very much time to react.

Another surprise was that I should upgrade to Windows 10. I haven't dedicated my computers just for Adobe's software. So I can't just upgrade to Windows 10 immediately when Adobe says so. I haven't seen any specific explanation why LR8 can't be run on Windows 8.1 and I'm in a believe it could run very well if only I could install it from Creative Cloud. If however there are some problems, then just notify it isn't fully supported and let it be my problems.

As I said Intel and Microsoft also tried to force users to upgrade to Windows 10 and artificially blocked using older versions of Windows with new Intel processors by preventing Windows updates to work. It was very easily fixed with unofficial patch and after that there is absolutely no problems with the hardware or the software. So I'm suspecting maybe for some reason Adobe is trying the same but didn't have yet enough courage to drop Windows 7 because there are so much users still using that OS.